Re: Private vs Public Responses to Questions
JBlumhorst@aol.com
Sun, 12 Sep 1999 03:54:37 EDT
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>
> I have a semi-wacky idea in progress: I bought a masthead float, std.
> equipment on the 13 ft. Hobie "Wave" catamaran, and I'm going to make a mount
> to put it at the top of the Potter mast. Masthead floats are popular on
> catamarans since cats are so difficult to right if they get turtled. My
> calculations indicate that once that float hits the water in a knock down my
> P-15 will have as much righting moment as a Potter 19. I think that if the
> P-15 can be kept from turning turtle it will take little to no water into the
> cabin in a capsize, even with the companionway open. Once upright the cockpit
> will drain over a period of five minutes or so and the boat should soon be
> on her way again. My thought is that placing 1/2 cu. ft. at the top of the
> mast will have far greater benefit than placing many cubic feet in the
> interior. Do you think I'm nuts?
Dave,
That idea is not at all nuts! That little bit of flotation on the end of a mast will give you the equivalent of about 7 or 8 cubic feet of foam inside the cabin, in terms of righting moment. It should prevent the boat from turning turtle.
Alternatively, you could put some foam inside your mast up at the top, and avoid the windage...
BTW, I'm the person who put 1" foam on the cabin ceiling. The reason for doing so was to cover up all the bolts inside my cabin top. They were a safety hazard! There are about 60 or 70 bolts thru my cabintop for the genny tracks (34), deck organizers (8), rope clutches (14), and winches (6), large horn cleats (4).
Additional floatation was just a minor side benefit. If I ever turtle it with the boards out, it may be a benefit... but mostly, I didn't want people cutting their scalps on the nuts and bolts.
Best,
Judy B